Lifesaving and treasure recovering device for ships



Nov. 11, 1941. ARMSTRONG 2,262,219

LIFESAVING AND TREASURE RECOVERING DEVICE FOR SHIPS Filed Nov. 13, 1939 INVENTOR. 4044/; laminae/w,

Patented Nov. 11, 1941 OFFICE LIFESAVING AND TREASURE RECOVERING DEVICEFOR SHIPS Louis E. Armstrong, Chicago, 111., assignor of onefourth to C. W. Lane and five per cent to Charles M. Butts, both of Las Vegas, Nev.

Application November 13, 1939, Serial No. 304,249

1 Claim.

The invention relates to improvements in the device illustrated in my Patent No. 1,313,156, of August 12, 1919, attaining further steps of improvements thereover of great importance. It has been the experience in past ship-wrecks that difficulty has been experienced in recovering safes and the like, due to the fact that when a ship sinks it usually doesnot remain on even keel, and the tremendous weight of safes, bullion and the like, result in these objects moving from their normal positions, often breaking through bulkheads and becoming lost in the ship, so that it is diificult for them to be removed, and even divers have, been unable to locate the articles in many instances.

It is therefore an object of my invention to guard against such difiiculties and insure that the safe or other treasure in a ship may be easily recovered Without the aid of divers or special apparatus other than a common hoist.

It is also an aim to coordinate with the enclosing structure a combined buoy and life-boat and signal device having novel functions and novel coordination with the safe structure and its housing,

It is an important aim of the invention to insure the prompt, automatic release of my buoy and life-boat device upon the sinking of a vessel. A further aim is to present a novel construction in life-boat and buoy construction, contributing to the safety thereof and to the greater protection of passengers, in addition to its lifesaving function.

An important aim of the invention is to perfect a construction whereby ordinary life-boats may be converted into vessels having the novel advantages of safety and protection of my invention, at a minimum of cost. A still further important object of the invention is to present a novel safe-containing chamber or housing for use in ships, and having a novel relation to the ship construction and to the combined buoy and lifeboat device. It is also a further aim to present a novel construction and certain elements and features of the invention, as Will be understood.

Additional objects, advantages and features of invention reside in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts involved in the embodiment, as will be understood from the following description and accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a well device incorporated in a ship, and having a safe and cable storing means incorporated therein, together with a novel closure,

Figure 2. is a fragmentary viewof one of the cable spool devices,

Figure 3 is a side view of a lower spool assembled,

Figure 4 is a top view of the combined buoy and life boat.

Figure 5 is a cross section of the buoy-boat,

Figure 6 is a similar view showing a modification of the construction.

-There is illustrated a portion of a ship deck H) in a room of a ship suitable for containing a safe II so set upon the deck I0, Without any fastenings. If desired, however, the safe may have incorporated thereon an air chamber or like structure I2, to assist inlifting the same in water, in case of necessity. Secured to the deck around the safe, there is a well l3 of substantial steel wall, which may be continuous and may be hermetically sealed to the deck Ii], if desired, although this is not essential. For access to the safe, any usual door or opening, not shown, may be provided. The opening to the well from within the ship may be closed by a water-tight door, or not, as found desirable. The well I3 is preferably rectangular in cross section, but may be of other shape if found preferable. It extends entirely upward through the ship and through the top deck M, to which it may also be secured, and this connection may be hermetically sealed, so that with proper doors at the access opening in the lower part of the well, the well will be completely water-tight and safe against access of water to the interior of the ship. If desired, the well may be a cage of any suitable openwork structure.

Set upon the upper open end of the well, there is a combined closure buoy andlife-boat l5, of suitable form, and the top of the well is shaped thereto, so thatthe vessel may be set upon the top of the well as a support and closure therefor, but as will be described, not attached, so that the vessel is free to float from the well in case of submergence, at all times.

Secured 'to the safe I l by a suitable saddle and sling structure Hi and coupling I1, there is a heavy hoist cable l8, which is extended upwardly through a sectional spool Hi, the construction of which is described in my prior patent, and is adapted to fall apart when the cable is unwound therefrom. The cable I8 is suitably coiled around the hub of this spool, as shown, and is connected at 20 to a smaller anchoring cable 2|, which is wound upon a spool 22, similar to the one I9, supported on the base portion of the first spool by supporting rods 23, separately attached to the second spool at least.

The upper end of the cable 21 is secured to an eye 24 fixed on the bottom of the vessel l5. The vessel l in the present instance is elongated for convenience of construction and accommodation of passengers, and may conform somewhat to the shape of a boat, although this is not essential. It is preferably formed with a. sponson structure 25, extending entirely therearound, with an upward and outward inclination, and attached to the under side of this there is an air chamber or pontoon element 26, the under side of which conforms to the inclination of the sponson upper sides, to improve the action of the vessel when afloat, in riding the waves and lessening spray. The chamber elements 26 are preferably formed in a number of units attached at the sides of the boat, in such number as found most expedient. In the present instance the device is shown applied to a standard life-boat body 21 in Figure 6, in which the sponson structure comprises a unit attached to the body of the life-boat, the sponson element 28 including a scupper board 29 and a base rail 30 having flange portions 3| at the lower sides and 32 at the upper, extending continuously therearound, the former being attached to the hull of the boat while the latter (one 32) affords a retaining means for a super-structure to be subsequently described. The scupperboard base is formed with apertures 33 at intervals therein, to afiord drainage of water which may gain access to the upper sides of the scupper, and the openings 33 may be valved in any desired manner, to act as a check against inflow of water from below.

The vessel is provided with a superstructure 35, which in the present instance is a substantially dome-shaped chamber as viewed in cross section, the middle portion of the vessel is preferably formed with parallel rectilinear gunwales or sides, and the superstructure is preferably semi-cylindrical for the same portion of the length of the vessel, so that a fixed end portion 36 of identical form may be provided at each end of the boat, stopping short of each other a substantial distance so as to afford a substantial opening amidship when required. Slidable upon the inner portions of these end sections, there are hatch sections 31 of identical form, adapted to slide over the portions 36 a distance and to be drawn together over the opening between the sections 36 so as to close the openings and effect a good joint with the sections 36 and with each other, in any approved fashion. Any usual fastenings may be provided, and in Figure 6, the superstructure is shown as detachably connected to the attached sponson structure by being set at the lower edges of the superstructure just without the flange 32 and set in the bottom channel of the scupper space, so as to be freely slidable, being held in their operative positions by means of removable pins 38 which may be left permanently in place as long as desired, but

the flange 48.

in case of damage to the hatches by falling objects or the like preventing their operation, the pins 38 may be utilized to effect release of occupants.

Ventilators 39 are provided in the upper part of the sections 36, which may be of any usual construction, and vent pipes 40 of somewhat greater height may be provided to effect a suitable air circulation. At on end of the device the pipes 40 may be utilized for the projection of an extensible aerial 4|, as a part of radio signalling equipment, a portion of which is formally indicated at 42, in Figure 4. Various other equipment contributing to safety of occupants or their sustenance, and to navigation of the vessel may be provided as discretion dictates. In the hatches 31 windows 43 may be provided, as well as windows 44 in such other parts of the vessel as found expedient.

In the present instance, the construction of thesponson chambers may form centralsections of the complete scupper structure, and may be formed from sheets of suitable metal of proper shape, bent adjacent one edg to form a.

base flange 43, from which the scupper portion 46-is extended outwardly at the proper angle,-

It may be understood that while I have described my invention with great particularity, such construction is purely exemplary, and it will be understood that many changes may be made in the actual construction and arrangement shown without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claim as hereinafter more specifically set forth.

I claim:

A buoyant vessel comprising a hull body portion and a cover therefor, a gunwal element extending around the body portion and secured thereto, said element formed to provide a flange extending outwardly and downwardly from the body and an additional flange extending upwardly from the body portion, means extending along and secured to the outwardly and downwardly extending flange, said means extending outwardly and upwardly from the flange to which it is attached thereby forming a scupper and cooperating with said upwardly extending flange to provide a channel, said means further formed to provide buoyancy chambers therein and thereby constituting a scupper and sponson, said cover including sections mounted in the channel for movement therealong.

LOUIS E. ARMSTRONG. 

